Singing Dangerously

This article is goi ng to focus on vocal health, and in particular we will be talking about the first out of the two most common vocal damaging flaws: Glottal Shock. If I were to make a list of the most common factors that contribute to vocal chord injury, high on the list would be glottal shock and glottal stop. Both of these improper techniques are often addressed by voice teachers as well as throat doctors and both have ruined more voice careers than probably any other physical factor next to gastric reflux disease and vocal fatigue. Many times it will not just be apparent within the act of singing but in speech as well and can be a commonality amongst many school teachers, clergyman, lawyers and basically anyone who relies on there voice in there carriers.

Let’s now look at the first of these two dangerous singing techniques again called glottal shock. Glottal shock is a clicking in the voice that can be heard at the onset of words that do not begin with some sort of consonant. An example of this would be when we sing or say words such as apple or every, or only. these words of course begin with a vowel rather than a consonant. And, as you hopefully could hear, there was a sort of clicking noise in the beginning of those words.

This is glottal shock. You see what happens is this. If I were to place my vocal chords together before I sing, when I actually do go to sing the vocal chords are then forced open and then unfortunately slam shut, slapping themselves together causing the click heard on the words onset. This is known by the way as the words ‘attack’, and this particular attack is not only unhealthy to our vocal instrument but is very unmusical as well. This sound can be very distracting in speech as well especially when someone is clicking every other word. Imagine if you were listening to someone sayaaI always entered into their apartment upstairs and I understand why everyone else does the opposite.a When you start noticing this in others you can almost feel the damage that they are causing themselves.

Find out more about glottal shock with online singing lessons at VirtualVoiceLessons.Net.

The way you breath greatly effects the way that you sing. In fact, when working on improving your voice the first thing you should concentrate on is improving your breathing. In this article I will tell you how you can use a three step process to develop a more natural tension free way of breathing.

A big problem that often arises is that singers have been told that they need to breath deeply in order to sing well so they take overly large breaths that actually build unneeded tension in the body. This tension effects the vocals in a negative way. It’s better to breath naturally rather than to force big tension building breaths.

You should allow yourself to breath, rather than to force yourself to breath. There’s an important difference there that is an important key to breathing naturally. Unfortunately many people have heard so much bad information about breathing for singing they have a lot of stuff to unlearn so that they can breath naturally again.

To get your breathing back on the right track, follow the these three simple steps.

Step One: Improve Your Posture

How you hold your body when you are standing is the starting point for natural breathing. You want to create an unobstructed pathway for air to travel to the lungs.
The first thing you should do is to stand up straight with your feet shoulder width apart. You should then roll your head around to ease all tension in your neck. Hold your head level, be sure your chin is not tipped up or down.

You should let your shoulder blades “slide” toward the center of your back so that they are back and down. Don’t “bunch up” your shoulders. You need to have a strong but relaxed stance.

When your shoulder blades are towards the center of your back in this way it helps to open up your chest which makes breathing deeply easier.

You should let your knees bend slightly. Remember you want to feel loose and natural, not stiff.

Step Two: Learning To Inhale Properly

First of all remember to keep your body in the strong but loose position you just learned about. Each step for more natural breathing for better singing builds upon the step before it.

When you are breathing in you should put your hand on your stomach with your middle finger on your belly button. You should know that all of the “action” for breathing in should take place between the bottom of your ribs and right below your belly button.

Slowly fill your stomach with air. Do this without lifting your shoulders or puffing out your chest. When you do those things you add tension to your breathing and you actually make it so you cannot hold as much air. Your breathing is perfect when it’s natural, you don’t need to force air into your body.

Remember that you are letting this breath come into your belly. Don’t force the air in. Don’t extend your belly using your muscles. Let it happen, don’t make it happen!

Step Three: Learning To Exhale

Like with the other steps, exhaling properly means to let the air come out of your body rather than to force it out. Exhaling is relaxation, it should not be a forceful thing.

Of course when you are singing, you are exhaling. Don’t concentrate on forcing the air out of your body when you are singing. When you do that you are building pressure and unneeded tension.

The key to exhaling properly is to not allow your muscles to become tight. You can practice by breathing in and breathing out and keeping your hand on your midsection and making sure there is no tension in your abdominal muscles. You should also try this when you are singing. Remember, muscle tension is bad. You want relaxation, not tension.

When we ask if voice training software work we must first think about what goals i t is trying to accomplish. Obviously we all expect a singing guide or software solution to be able to teach us to sing better but what other aspects should we be considering before we cast that ballot?

Teaching can be a complicated art form and when you do it without a live coach there are a number of elements that need to be addressed to help someone effectively teach themselves. Firstly the software must provide the raw facts and guides to teach aspiring singers exactly how to sing including posture, breathing, pitch and tone and a lot more. The way in which it delivers this is just as important however. Pure text guides are the bare minimum but since some people learn by auditory senses better and other may be visual learners having sound and pictures and diagrams is important to convey the exact message that you are trying to get across.

When we have all that sorted there is still the issue of singing and how to judge that singing. A singing teacher can of course just listed and comment and critique but how can a software program do this? While here may be no perfect replacement some voice training software gets around this by providing complex recording and playback software so you can listen to yourself and adjust what you are doing with practice and also pitch training software that can measure your pitch and help you reach the notes with feedback from this utility.

While this is of course not an exhaustive list these are some very important aspects that you should look for in voice training software. If they do include these things or at least some of these things then you can be fairly certain that as long as you put the effort in you WILL improve your singing voice from the software tuition. So if you are looking for a digital solution to getting a great voice no matter what your goals are, click below for reviews of the best guides and software that will help you get to where you want to be.

Learn to Sing Software Reviews

Improve Singing Voice

Whether you are a beginner or an accomplished singer you can always incorporate exercises to improve singing voice in your daily practice regimen. Improving your vocal range and developing a good tone will take a lot of hard work and practice and it will certainly not be possible to achieve these goals overnight. However it is not an impossible dream either and here are a few exercises that will help you to improve singing voice dramatically.

If you want to improve the tone of your voice you should be careful about the position of your larynx. The larynx also knows as the voice box is an organ in the neck made up of cartilage, muscles and ligaments. The following experiment will help you to see the importance of the position of the larynx for the various tones created by you.

Begin by opening your mouth wide like you would for a yawn. This will usually be marked by a relaxed sensation in your throat while you exhale, make a vowel sound like ‘aaahh’ you will notice that the sound produced has a every rich tone. The position of the larynx can be felt by placing your hand on the Adam’s apple or the raised notch on your throat. You will notice that the larynx moves down when making this sound. The downward movement of the larynx increases the distance traveled by the sound before it reaches your mouth. And this is what produces the rich tome.

If you want to hear the tonal effect of a upward movement of the larynx start by producing the sound of the word’nay’ with a marked nasal tone. A good way to produce a nasal sound would be to talk like Fran Dresher from the show’the nanny’. You will have to sing just like she would. If you keep your fingers on your throat you will feel the larynx move upwards. The tone made through this movement is nasal and doesn’t sound good.

So as you can see the position of the larynx is directly responsible for the tone of your voice. A larynx in the mid position is best for the tone of your voice. This is the natural relaxed position of the larynx. But maintaining this position of the larynx will come with practice. Here are a few exercises that will help.

In order to feel the position of the larynx start by placing your hand on your neck. To move the larynx in the mid position do the exercise mentioned above.

Follow this with the normal breathing exercises again making sure that the larynx is still centered.

Even when you are singing the scales maintaining this central position is essential. To begin with sing the scales normally. But keep your fingers on your neck so that you can notice any upward movement in the larynx; correct it by opening your mouth wider and relaxing the throat muscles which will push the larynx down. Sing the other scales while being aware of the position of your larynx.

Don’t just stop at the scales, you should control the movement of your larynx even while singing the words. Sing a verse from your favorite song in a baby voice noticing the upward movement of the larynx. Also try singing with your mouth open, and observe how the downward movement of the larynx produces a rich ton

Singing is one of the most enjoyable art forms albeit one that will need hard work and perseverance to learn.

How To Warm Up And Cool Down When Singing

Warming up and cooling down before and after singing is crucial in preserving a healthy singing voice. If you don’t warm up and cool down your voice, you risk damaging your vocal cords and sometimes permanently so.

All athletes know that an effective warm up is essential for optimal athletic performance. But you say, singers are not athletes, so why should singers warm up their singing voices?

Singers who are dinner guests are often asked to perform impromptu entertainment by their host after the dinner to entertain other guests. The wise singer will politely decline the request rather than singing raw which is further complicated by a bloated tummy.

A proper warming up before a singing performance lets the singer to get in touch with the singer’s inner self physically and psychologically since self awareness is the foundation of good vocal techniques.

All good singers know that there is a co-ordination of many muscles parts and therefore warming up before singing should be an unhurried and a leisurely self-exploration that allows enough time for the loosening and coordination of the muscles that assist voice production. Warming up your voice should be an enjoyable experience because as you warm up, your voice begins to sound better, effortless and a sense singing freely is felt.

Unfortunately, most of the time, the singer is warming up while rushing to a rehearsal or as a last minute preparation before taking the stage. The pressure of a hurried warming up may cause physical and mental tension and as such, the warming up may prove to be ineffective or worse, counter-productive.

All well trained singers develop their own distinctive warming up routines best suited to their own personal requirements. The routines may vary with changes in physical, mental and also emotional state.

Most good singers begin by warming up their body first with light physical exercises. This is done to reduce the muscular tension so that the singing voice will not sound strained or tensed. Furthermore, light exercises helps to stimulate deep breathing which is essential for good voice support.

It is vital to start vocalizing in your comfortable vocal range so as not to strain your vocal cords when it is cold. You can then gradually move on to the higher and lower extreme notes. Some recent biomechanical research have shown that singing at the extremity of both the higher and lower notes of the vocal range can strain the laryngeal muscles, and can result harmful patterns of muscle tension. It goes on to say that thus it is good common sense to avoid the extreme pitches whether they are high or low notes until your voice is warmed up appropriately. Most singer’s warm up is devoted to the goals of obtaining a beautiful voice timbre through the use of various vocal exercises.

After a singing session, the singer should cool down the voice with exercises that soothe the vocal cords such as soft descending scales on the “oo” or the “ee” vowel. If the singer does not cool down after a sing session, the vocal tension will stay and the vocal cords remain tensed and this will lead to further voice complications. So, to maintain and preserve a healthy singing voice, adequate warm up and cool down is a must in any singer’s inventory.

There are always reasons for doing what we want to do. For some of us it is all about fun. That should be an incentive that is enough for children to take music lessons. However, some parents need a bit more prompting as far as reasons go. Here is what every parent needs to know when it comes to music lessons for children – benefits.

There are many aspects that as a child grows, these areas need to be trained. One of those is the cognitive and motor areas. This helps them so that they can manipulate their mind and their body. Other areas include problem solving. All of these can be worked with when a child does music lessons.

It has also been stated that those children who take music lessons throughout their life will be better in some areas as they are exercising certain parts of the brain. It is said that children do better verbally. They also do better at math. These areas are the ones that more and more schools are finding children having difficulty with. For whatever reason, much of it is because kids are trying to learn so much at one time, this is great news for children as they will do better in school. This is what we all want from children. Is it not?

The same is true for kids in high school. A study has been done by the Board of Education that has proven that while a child is in high school and is involved in either band or choir; they double their chances at doing well in math. This is the hardest sort of math that is out there as well.

We all know that school can be hard. Many kids who do not do well have found that they just want to give up. Music has been the thing to keep some kids who are ready to give up the incentive they need to keep going. There has been a relationship between music and kids staying in school that is.

There are social impacts that music lessons hold as well. Not only do children learn to have a mentor and to listen to their mentors, but they learn to work along side with people. They learn to talk things out.

They also learn to channel the negative emotions that sometimes run along with what many kids face from day to day. They are the racial injustices, the social economic standings, and much more. It is really interesting what all music can help children with.

As you can see, there are many things that can help children, but music lessons are just one thing you do not want to miss out on. The things that you can give your children just by allowing them to do this are amazing. The sad thing is, these are usually the first areas that schools cut when the budget gets too low. Look at all the things that can be accomplished just by letting them do this.

Take a Deep Breath:

Teaching the Inhalation for Singing More Effectively – Releasing Abdominal Tension

According to Gillyanne Kayes ‘awhen you breathe in, you will feel that your lower abdomen moves out as a result of the diaphragm pulling downa’1 This is true, but does assume that the student already breathes efficiently and correctly. It also assumes that the singer has a good awareness of the detrimental effect abdominal tension has on the inhalation. One of the main breathing challenges I have encountered in the studio is that students find the concept of letting the lower abdomen go into neutral difficult, hence the diaphragm does not depress fully and subsequently the lungs do not fill to capacity. The following are several methods and ideas proposed by both me and my students for helping to release abdominal tension.

1. Inhaling against a wall

A Kinaesthetic Approach

A student can gain insight into the deep breath required for singing through observing the mechanism when they are lying down. In this position the body naturally resorts to effective breathing. However I have found that not all students are comfortable with being asked to lie down on my studio floor during a lesson, albeit with a cushion to support their head and a throw to preserve their clothes. Occasionally students have back and knee problems and such a suggestion is simply inappropriate. As a teacher I do feel that breathing needs to be introduced within the first few weeks of lessons, yet a trusting relationship may not have developed sufficiently to permit what could be a vulnerable situation for the student.

As an alternative I have found that getting a student to check their breathing mechanism while leaning against a wall very effective. The student allows the wall to support them, turning their head to the side so that their cheek is flat against the surface. Arms are relaxed at their sides. I then ask them to lever themselves from this position by releasing the abdominals and allowing the diaphragm to depress, lungs to fill, rib-cage to expand and epigastrium to move forward. If the student ‘chest-breathes’ there is no leverage and this, due to the lack of release of the abdominal muscles, is immediately apparent to them.

I have found this to be an effective method because the student is already upright and experiencing the deep breath. One of the difficulties with breath work on the floor is getting the student to maintain the deep breathing they have so readily discovered when they return to a standing position.

This technique has been effective for about 75% of my students thus far. Effectiveness has been evaluated by how quickly and independently the student comprehends what is required and why i.e. the technique’s place within singing. One of the positive aspects of this exercise is that is allows students to self-evaluate immediately.

2. Abdomen as an Elastic Band -Visualisation

A Visual and/or Aural Approach

Students’ reactions to my explanations of breathing anatomy vary widely, ranging from eyes glazing over to keen interest. I have had to ask myself the question: just how much anatomical information do students usefully need to know and how can I accommodate these different levels of interest within different learning styles?

One of the less orthodox responses to my survey was that of a student who is a hypnotist by profession. This lady recorded a visualisation exercise, coming up with the image of the abdomen as a brightly coloured elastic band which released and expanded with the inhalation. I played this guided visualisation to a cross-section of students and the response was encouraging. Most found it immediately useful, helping them to clearly imagine the abdominal muscles’ activity. Several were very interested in the idea and stated that they would like to experiment further with it. One student who had long-term difficulty getting away from shallow breathing habits deepened her inhalation within one lesson of listening to this visualisation.

Only one student found it categorically unhelpful and preferred to visualise conventional anatomy when inhaling, unsurprising as this student normally approaches tasks intellectually.

The guided meditation was an antithesis to thinking conventionally about anatomy in that it used the imagination and was concerned with the essentials. I was interested to note just how many students related well to this. The recording was not a definitive guide, but a starting point for students to use their own imaginations in visualising the abdominal release.

3. Using Imagery

A Visual Approach

I suggested that several artist-singers in my group class create an image of how they understood the inhalation, in particular bearing in mind the release of the abdominals. The ‘spec’ I provided was that the image could be figurative or abstract and use any media. I also participated in this exercise.

The following week the selected students presented their works, which turned out to be figurative and concerned with the breathing mechanism in general. Given the interconnectedness of inhalation and exhalation this was understandable. Both drawings acknowledged the need for abdominal breathing. The images showed an appreciation of colour and movement which provided information about these students’ learning styles, i.e. visual and kinaesthetic. Interestingly, both drawings revealed a misunderstanding about the breath creating head resonance.

My own contribution was more abstract and based on how I visualise the experience of a deep inhalation.

The group proceeded to practice the inhalation while looking at each of the three images. Several of the group connected well to the latter image with one student stating that it was ‘asimple and had movement and energy’. The two figurative images were well received as interesting drawings, but less effective as stimulators of abdominal breathing.

Encouraging students to do drawings of the inhalation was very useful as the resulting work showed strengths and weaknesses in their comprehension. However, in distilling a method from images I would need to experiment further and ‘achoose them carefully and appropriately for each pupil’2, using my discretion regarding students’ personalities and learning styles. This would suggest the need for having worked with the student for some time.

Further Use of Imagery

I agree with Meribeth Dayme (nAe Bunch) when she states that referring to the inhalation as ‘abdominal breathing’ is less misleading than the term ‘diaphragmatic breathing’. While the diaphragm is acknowledged as being the most important muscle of inspiration the release of the lower abdominal muscles is vital for maximum functioning of the former.

During the past few months of my research I have collected several phrases evoking images that have helped facilitate ‘abdominal breathing’. They are as follows:

1. ‘Bellyful of breath’

2. ‘Pregnant with breath’

3. ‘Imagine a hole in the abdomen through which breath enters’

4. ‘Balloon filling the abdomen’ (student contribution)

5. ‘Sea rolling in and out’ (student contribution on inhalation and exhalation)

The use of imagery has proven very effective for most students and I would not hesitate to develop this method further. I have been very interested to hear students’ own creative ideas. If an image is personal it is likely to be effective.

4. SPLAT! (Singers Please Loosen Abdominal Tension)/ The Recoil Breath

A Physical Approach

Gillyanne Kayes talks about her own study of breathing, being advised by one instructor that ‘athe secret of breathing in was to breathe out.’3 My understanding of this quote is that if a singer has an insight into what their abdominal muscles are meant to do during the exhalation, they will learn what these muscles are not meant to do during the inhalation, i.e. contract. Janice Chapman is also an advocate of SPLAT!, incorporating it in her ‘Primal Sound’ technique.

SPLAT! involves exhaling at any given moment, a special preceding inhalation not being required. The singer draws their abdomen in towards their spine, pushing any lingering scraps of air out of their lungs. At the point when the exhalation has reached its limit the body will reflexively release the abdominal muscles, allowing the diaphragm to depress and lungs to fill to their capacity, i.e. the recoil. As with the wall leaning exercise I demonstrated SPLAT! in the first instance and students subsequently practiced it under my supervision. The exercise was attempted in a standing position.

SPLAT! had a diverse response. Some students grasped it well and others found it frustrating and strenuous. Over a period of several weeks it was clear that not everybody was releasing their abdominal muscles as a result of this work. In asking students for feedback I found that this was due to the power of old holding habits or simply a lack of clarity about the mechanics of the exercise*.

*The exercise revealed that a number of students had previously assumed the abdominal muscles were contracted during inhalation and relaxed during exhalation. I attempted to remedy this misunderstanding with the following phrase:

‘In=Out’ and ‘Out=In’

Simplified from:

‘Inhalation = Abdominals Out

Exhalation = Abdominals In’

I have noticed recently that when students get confused during SPLAT! they start to repeat this phrase to themselves before re-attempting the exercise. It does appear to help them focus their efforts.

Conclusion

My research demonstrated just how vital it is to fathom a student’s personality and learning style when teaching technique. Having several tools available is necessary and this requires a teacher to be open-minded while simultaneously grounded in facts of anatomy and physiology. I am pleased to come away with alternatives to my original teaching method of demonstration and use of anatomical drawings, a more intellectual approach. I won’t fully abandon this but nor will it be my default method in the future. Though traditional and time-tested, I was never entirely comfortable placing my hands on my students. It is timely to have more options that enable students to clearly practice and self-evaluate abdominal release.

Opposition to abdominal release came in several forms. Unsurprisingly many of my students were uncomfortable with having to release their lower abdominal muscles. The learned response is to hold these muscles tight and all of the above exercises focus on the necessity to ‘reduce the holding patterns in the abdominal wall’4. One student told me that the release was in direct opposition to maintaining the ‘central core’ required for Pilates, another activity she engaged in. Several dancers had the same concern. I was alarmed that so many students interpreted releasing the abs as an instruction for the whole body to slouch. It was vital to pause and address posture during the work.

Several students consistently contradicted my research, those who engage in shallow breathing without their capacity and control being compromised – and apparently without the usual resultant tension on the larynx. I am still considering how I need to go about advocating the benefits of abdominal breathing to these students, so my research continues.

As with any investigation there are as many questions raised as are answered. Svend Smith’s ‘Accent Method’ merits more research as does Janice Chapman’s work with ‘Primal Sound’ which interestingly combines deep, reflexive breathing with emotion. There are many other studies of technique that are not singing related such as breathing for yoga, re-birthing, Chi Gung and athletic activities, to name a few. I feel that it would be useful to have a working knowledge of these, if not to apply directly to singing then for the purpose of achieving a rounded understanding of the power of the breath in different situations. In short, there are many worthwhile and interesting avenues that can be followed for developing a thorough pedagogy for breathing.

Bibliography:

Kayes, G (2004) Singing and the Actor (Routledge)

Dayme, M (1997) Dynamics of the Singing Voice (Springer Wien)

Chapman, J (2006) Singing and Teaching Singing:

A Holistic Approach to Classical Voice (Plural Publishing)

Harris, P (2006) Improve Your Teaching! (Faber Music)

Footnotes/ Indices

1 Kayes, Gillyanne (2004) Singing and the Actor (Routledge)

2 Harris, P (2006) Improve Your Teaching! (Faber Music)

3 Kayes, G (2004) Singing and the Actor (Routledge)

3 Chapman, J (2006) Singing and Teaching Singing: A Holistic Approach to Classical Voice (Plural Publishing)

Cathryn VM Robson 2009

Learn How To Train Your Vocal To Sing

Are you dying to become a professional singer? Is it your dream to become the next American Idol? Are looking for ways to train your voice to sing? Well, do not worry here are some of the ideal tips to fulfill your dreams.

Online vocal exercise:
Now-a-days with the expansion of internet facility everything can be easily available. You can easily avail the services of online vocal exercise and utilize the various tools to train you voice to sing. Online vocal lessons are so methodical that they easily teach a mediocre singer to sing in perfect tune. Learning singing through internet is a very good idea for the beginners as it will help to attain knowledge over singing techniques. By going online you also save your precious time and effort.

Hiring a vocal instructor:
One can also learn singing by hiring a vocal instructor. A good and professional vocal coach can help you a lot to learn the nuances of singing. You can always get feedback of your performance. Experienced vocal coach can even teach you the right singing technique so that you might not hurt your vocal chords. Moreover you can learn the correct breathing technique while singing.
Opting for dance lesson programs:
Singing lesson programs are of immense help to the beginners. You can easily train your voice to sing without the help of a coach or anybody else. Singing lesson programs like ‘Singorama’ and others can help to you convert yourself in to a singing sensation with in short period of time. Moreover you can learn singing by maintaining complete privacy. These programs are well prepared keeping in mind the needs of beginners. They are very methodical and follow correct singing steps which are easy to learn.

Keep patience:
Singing is an art so it requires lot of time to attain mastery over it. You need to keep patience and keep on practicing regularly. It is difficult to have an attractive voice unless and until you go for regular rehearsals. Practice will not only make you perfect but also enable you to dig out your hidden talent. It is very important that you find out adequate time to continue your practice sessions time and again.

Singing is not as simple as it looks. To train your voice to sing perfectly, besides your talent you need to have a strong determination. If you have made up your mind to do something then definitely you would achieve that. The above tips will surely help to train your voice to sing and accomplish your dream.

How To Know If You Are A Good Singer

Do you hum a tune or sing to yourself often when you are alone? Are you the so called “bathroom singer”? Oftentimes, people wished they are able to sing well some even dreamed of being a pop star. This is especially so when we are inspired by good singers.

The desire to be a good singer is inside many of us, but we tend to suppress this thought because most people think that they do not have the talent or potential. If you are thinking this way, then don’t despair because everyone of us have the potential to sing better with good coaching and guidance.

With the popularity of talent shows such as the American Idol, more and more wannabe pop stars are taking singing lessons to improve their singing skills. This is because no matter what is your current singing ability, it is indeed possible to achieve a professional singing voice and to possibly become a professional singer.

The notion that only some people have the talent to sing well is, well, untrue. Many people have this wrong idea that being a good singer is something that one is born with. This is simply not true. Do you know that most, if not all the famous singers in the world engage professional vocal coaches to train them and to get where they are?

Even famous and popular singers have had to practice with vocal exercises gradually improving their voices to get to the top of their profession. Hey, they were just like you and me when they first started.

These days, there are many great vocal teachers giving online singing lessons or record their lessons in CDs, VCDs, MP3s or are coaching on interactive media. Online singing lessons are the next best thing to a good singing teacher. Why is this so?

You see, since these singing lessons are already pre-recorded, you can buy them easily and have world class coaching in the comfort of your home. In other words, you save plenty of time and money without having to commute to classes and without the need to pay very expensive one-on-one coaching lessons from world class vocal coaches.

Many if not all of these singing lessons are created by world class coaches and thus you are getting the best home coaching. Many of these lessons are also jam packed with quality information, interactive audio lessons, e-books which are created to make learning how to sing well a very fun affair.

These singing programs are unique singing courses that have been developed for singers of all abilities. Everyone can find their area of interest or lessons of their ability. Most of these singing programs cover every aspect of good singing and can help you make major improvements in your singing and performances in a very short time.

These home study lessons usually contain heaps of help and tips on how to perform and numerous other professional singing tips. Can you be a good singer? The answer is of course yes! In fact, everyone can if they have the proper coaching.

So now that you know that you have the potential to be a good singer, then don’t you think it is about time to take action and find your true potential? Who knows, you could well be the next pop superstar!

How Do Singers Find Work

Now that you have a band organized and have rehearsed sufficiently or you are already very proficient in accompanying yourself with a guitar or a piano and already have a wide repertoire of songs, you know now is the time to start finding work as a professional singer. All the hard work is done and now is the time for fun and even fame! Isn’t this the glorious day you have been looking forward to?

Finding work as a singer is not as difficult as many people make out to be because there will always be restaurants, clubs, pubs, private and public functions looking for competent professional singers like you. You can either hire agents or approach the venue of your interest directly after finding out who is the person in charge for conducting auditions, hiring bands and singers.

After talking to your potential employers, you can send them your demo CDs prior to a live audition. If you are selected, they will call you and your band for a live audition. This is the crucial point where you either succeed in getting yourself hired or not.

If you are applying for a singing job at bars and pubs, your potential employer will not be interested in listening to your original material. You are not a superstar and you have yet to establish an audience who will want to listen to your original composition no matter how good they are.

What they want will be what the venue’s audience wants to listen to. Remember this, the club owners are in this for money and you will have to earn them money to justify your fee and job.

For example, if you sing with a jazz band, then obviously you cannot send your jazz demo CDs to rock clubs. It is therefore imperative that you understand the nature of the venue before sending your demo CDs.

Choose about 6-8 songs for your demo CDs for your pre-audition. This is because your potential employers will want to know that you have a wide repertoire and style. Do not attempt to showcase slow ballads unless you are very good and soulful or otherwise, you will bore your potential employers. Besides, slow songs are more difficult to sing well and mistakes are easier to spot.

If you are auditioning just for a singing job and do not have a band, then don’t clutter your songs with some amateurish accompaniment. Sing with a karaoke minus one accompaniment instead. That will make you sound more like a proficient singer instead of a fumbling wannabe amateur.

Your first singing gig is probably one of the most important miles-stone of your singing career. Do learn quickly. If you are singing in a club and no one is paying attention to your performance, then you need to quickly know why. Perhaps you are not on stage and the audience cannot see you, or you may be performing too softly or too loudly until you sound irritating. There will be plenty of tweaking to do until you get your performance just right.

If you are a solo singer and are accompanying yourself, make sure the guitar or piano accompaniment arrangements are not too complex. Your voice must come through, not the sound of the musical instrument. Your audience are there to listen to you singing and do not want to listen to the clang clang bang bang of your guitar or piano. The musical instrument supports the song, not the other way round.

For instance, listen to Dina Krall when she accompanies herself on the piano. When singing, she just plays the chords so that her voice and lyrics come across with clarity and powerful emotions. It is during the instrumental part of the song that her piano playing is more fanciful and more crescendo applied.

Finding work as a singer is easy, but the road to being a successful professional singer or to fame is another matter.